Since its migration from the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) to the European honey bee (Apis mellifera), the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor has emerged as a major issue for beekeeping worldwide. Due to a short history of coevolution, the host–parasite relationship between A. mellifera and V. destructor is unbalanced, with honey bees suffering infestation effects at the individual, colony and population levels. Several control solutions have been developed to tackle the colony and production losses due to Varroa, but the burden caused by the mite in combination with other biotic and abiotic factors continues to increase, weakening the beekeeping industry. In this synthetic review, we highlight the main advances made between 2015 and 2020 on V. destructor biology and its impact on the health of the honey bee, A. mellifera. We also describe the main control solutions that are currently available to fight the mite and place a special focus on new methodological developments, which point to integrated pest management strategies for the control of Varroa in honey bee colonies.

Chemical communication is a widely used mode of communication for social insects and has been demonstrated to be involved in many behaviours and physiological processes such as reproduction, nutrition or the fight against parasites and pathogens. In the honey bee, Apis mellifera, the release of chemical compounds by the brood plays a role in worker behaviour, physiology, and foraging activities and colony health as a whole. Several compounds have already been described as brood pheromones, such as components of the brood ester pheromone and (E)-β-ocimene. Several other compounds originating from diseased or varroa-infested brood cells have been described as triggering the hygienic behaviour of workers. So far, studies of brood emissions have focused on specific stages of development and little is known about the emission of volatile organic compounds by the brood. In this study, we investigate the semiochemical profile of worker honey bee brood during its whole developmental cycle, from egg to emergence, with a specific focus on volatile organic compounds. We describe variation in emissions of thirty-two volatile organic compounds between brood stages. We highlight candidate compounds that are particularly abundant in specific stages and discuss their potential biological significance.